Here comes the big tip: Never, ever take a bus from MT brothers/TM brothers/MT/TM cafe...we tried to ban the name of the company from our memories, but although we forgot the order of the letters T and M, we remember the letters. The bus trip from Nha Trang to Dalat was supposed to last 4 1/2 hours according to the lady who sold us the tickets.
It turned out to be 9....It all started with the bus going slower and slower, the airco was turned off and the front door opened (while driving). After 5 hours, the bus stopped to get some water....on the engine! We continued with 20 km/h and after an hour one of the tires exploded. We continued our journey, while being overtaken by other buses, cars motorbikes and......bikes!
After arriving in Dalat, we decided to walk to our hotel: the Dreams hotel. When we arrived, a nice Dutch couple (with whom we had shared the bus, but who had taken a taxi) told us the hotel was full. They had the last room and two German girls just left the hotel disappointed. Almost beaten by lazy people taking a cab, we were so happy that I had called from the bus to make a reservation. For the first time, but at the right moment.
Dalat is supposed to be as French as Vietnam can be. Nice hills, a town build around a lake and trees like the French Alps. They even have a wannabe Eiffel tower!
Different than in the North, you can even drink something on a terrace.
Of course, as good French town, Dalat does not only have a catholic church, it has a cathedral!
After cruising Dalat for a day, we were ready for adventure! We rented a motorbike and started driving. First to a town way too far for two people on one bike :-(, than to some destinations more within reach of our limited speed.We started by cruising the area East of Dalat and exploring some waterfalls.
On the 12th (my birthday) we took the bus to Saigon for some well deserved luxury in the local Hyatt hotel and a good dinner in La Camargue, a 'real' French restaurant in Saigon. It really felt like a birthday: The Dreams hotel in Dalat gave me a bouquet of flowers, and after arriving in the Hyatt after our great dinner, a birthday cake was waiting for me!
Next day, the heat really got us. We did three things: we walked a little through the centre, got me a new backpack (the old one I got in Bangkok last year fell apart under the heavy weight of all our new clothing from Hoi An) and booked our trip to the Mekong Delta for the next day. So, no fancy, juicy Saigon stories, but a slideshow (the lazy blog).
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